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Die Hard: Year One
Die Hard: Year One is a comic book series, published by Boom! Studios and written by Howard Chaykin. There were 8 comic issues produced in the series between September 2009 and April 2010. Issues 1-4 (Volume One) and 5-8 (Volume 2) follow separate story arcs each occurring within a single day, similarly to the films. Perhaps unsurprisingly, McClane continually finds himself in the wrong place at the right time. The series serves as a prequel to the films, has been met with mixed reviews for its depiction of John McClane and the strength of its storytelling or lack thereof. Plot Volume One, portrays John McClane as a rookie cop during the 1976 Bicentennial celebration in New York City. This version of Manhattan is a cesspool of disorder and corruption. McClane hones the art of politicking, following orders and rubbing shoulders with the powerful. The main villain, a la Hans Gruber, is a terrorist in name only. With the help of some dirty cops, he hijacks the yacht of a prominent New Yorker, threatening to blow it up and kill those on board. It is in this story arc that he earns his shield. In Volume Two, McClane is a first-year New York City police detective during the New York City Blackout in the summer of 1977. He and his partner Olga, dispatch with a small-time massage parlor thief who has taken hostages out of desperation. Simultaneously, the Rice brothers unhatch their scheme causing the blackout, and begin hitting and looting multiple establishments. It is in this story arc that Det. McClane meets his future wife, Holly. Characters Volume One: Main Characters Secondary Characters: Rochelle "Shelly" Ciardello - Russ's wife. Sleeping with his partner Pete. Commissioner Jerry (Last Name?) - New York City Police Commissioner and friend and ally of the Fords. Mikey - Henchman for the extortion operation. Avner - Another henchman for the extortion operation. Volume Two: Main Characters Comic Issues Trivia/Spoilers * The series uses flashbacks of John McClane to paint a picture of his time as a youth and as a marine in the Vietnam War. * As a child, John vividly describes being dared to crawl under the Westgate house by Sally Westgate to obtain Playboy magazines hidden there. A bulldozer begins to demolish the house while he is crawling underneath it, adding to his claustrophobia. McClane estimates that he must have been about ten years old at the time. If he was born in 1955 this would place the Westgate episode around the summer of 1965. He adds that eight to ten years later he was in Vietnam, which would potentially place him there right up to the end of the conflict in 1975, shortly before enrolling in the NYPD in 1976. * As a marine in Vietnam, McClane achieved the rank of sergeant. In Volume 2 , he describes exacerbating his claustrophobia with the trauma of having to hide in and crawl through Viet Cong tunnels to escape from being accidentally napalmed via friendly fire. He mentions this occurring "five years back," (from 1977) placing a portion of his time in the service around the summer of 1972, in the waning years of the war. In Volume 1, McClane describes returning home to an unwelcome and ungrateful reception from the public. * During his interaction with Holly Petrillo at the end of Volume 2, McClane's monologue exclaims, "And that's how I met your mother." Given that Holly's maiden name is Gennaro, this may imply that in the comic book series, Holly is either already married or recently divorced and kept her married name at the time she first meets John. If true, this may shed light on her lack of a reluctance to retain her married name while she and John are separated in the first film.